TNN
Chandigarh, Feb 4: After the 4-4 draw against the Netherlands on Sunday, India coach in-charge Harendra Singh had said that not earning a single penalty corner had cost them a win. On Tuesday, he was a happy man following India's 2-0 triumph over world and Olympic champions Germany in their final match of the first leg of the four-nation Punjab Gold Cup.
Reason: India earned two penalty corners in the match and scored in both.
However, the person whose stellar performance ensured that India go into the second leg with their morale high was man of the match Baljit Singh, who pulled off five stunning saves to fashion India's first victory over Germany after 2004.
The match started on a wrong note for India, as in-form striker Shivender Singh had to be stretchered off the field in the very first minute following a nasty collision with a German midfielder. However, the jolt didn't bog down the Indians, as they earned a penalty corner two minutes later.
After Rajpal Singh's push wasn't stopped cleanly, the ball went to an unmarked Dilip Tirkey — the highest capped player in the world — who hit a sizzling shot that beat German goalie Max Weinhold all ends up.
After conceding an early goal, the German squad pressed hard to restore parity and earned as many as seven penalty corners (7th, 14th, 15th, 20th, 22nd, 23rd, 34th). However, the man who rose to the occasion and denied the Germans from equalizing was India custodian Baljit Singh. The local lad came up with stunning saves to ensure India went into the breather keeping the lead intact.
With each of Baljit's saves cheered by a vociferous crowd, the Indians also staged couple of counter-attacks, but were denied by an alert German defence.
If Germany dominated the first half, it was the home side which took control of the proceedings after the breather. They came tantalizingly close to increasing the lead in the 49th minute when Vikram Pillay's rasping shot from the top of the striking zone missed the goal by a whisker. However, the orchestrated build-ups by Rajpal, Arjun Halppa and Vikram did yield result in the 53rd minute when India earned their second short corner.
After Weinhold blocked skipper Sandeep Singh's drag flick, an alert Prabhjot Singh sent home the rebound with a splendid reverse flick.
After having an ordinary first half, Vikram pulled up his socks and played superbly in the second. Besides playing a key role in the midfield, he also thwarted quite a few German attacks around the Indian striking zone.